Thomas Frank Hopper

Thomas Frank Hopper, it is a slide guitar riff plugged into a tube amp and melodies that ooze Blues Rock. He's also a generous, close-to-audience artist with uncommon sensitivity and a pure voice. Let yourself be carried away by the authenticity of the music of this undeniably talented Belgian artist!

"One of the most promising talents in Belgian rock today", Classic 21

The Meditation Path

Eight panels line the route, which begins at the foot of the church and climbs to the Saint-Bernard chapel. Written by the Emergences teaching team, coordinated by Ilios Kotsou, each panel is an invitation to explore an attitude of mindfulness: non-judgment, patience, beginner's mind, trust, acceptance, gratitude, generosity and kindness.

We were inspired to offer a meditation path in this location because it naturally inspires contemplation, as you can discover for yourself. Loaded with history, silences, both a place of life and reflection, this monument welcomes you on its meditative trail, the time of a shared path.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness meditation suggests pausing to observe and feel what's going on inside and around you and then, perhaps acting more consciously instead of reacting. Ilios Kotsou adds: Learning to live mindfully means exercising your ability to step outside your automatisms and be more present to your own life.

What's it for?

Meditating allows you to discover keys to developing your inner serenity, improving your well-being, getting to know yourself and others better, (re)connecting with your values and therefore taking better care of yourself, others and the world.

Open all year round

Access to the meditation path is included in the Abbey entrance fee. If you regularly practice mindfulness meditation and would like to come back to settle down at various times of the year, consider taking an annual pass.

Please note, the meditation path is not accessible to people with reduced mobility. The trail is located in an area with many stairs.

A notebook with the texts of the mindfulness meditation path is available for €2.

The Language of Silence exhibition

Villers Abbey will be hosting The Language of Silence, a group exhibition of monumental sculptures, until 20 April 2025.

The works of art – forged in metal – play with textures and colours, composing a visual symphony enhanced by age-old stone.

The Abbey has created a route that takes in 21 contemporary works of art produced by 10 sculptors that interacts with the majestic architecture of Villers Abbey. Each sculpture blends in perfectly with its surroundings, steeped in history, from the gardens to the former spaces inhabited by Cistercian monks.

Besac-Arthur

Belgian globetrotter and Indiana Jones of song! Besac-Arthur writes his songs like he puts his hands in the earth. Some people look for gold at the bottom of wells, but he looks for it at the heart of humanity. His music combines lightness, the hope of a new world, the depth of folk chords, with West African sounds.

Besac